UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, November 8, 2021

Albanian Language Media:

President Osmani travels to U.S. (media)
COMKFOR: Security situation stable, we support Pristina-Belgrade dialogue (Kosovapress)
Run-off mayoral election campaign kicks off today (media)
AAK leader Haradinaj warns of an imminent social crisis (media)
Healthcare workers with ultimatum for the government (media)
Union of Education, Science and Culture warns with strike in January (media)
COVID-19: 8 new cases, no deaths (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Covid-19: 76 new cases, two deaths registered in Serbian areas on Saturday (Radio kontakt plus)
The campaign of the second round of local elections begun (KiM radio, KoSSev)
Petkovic: Member of people who had SS division is comparing Serbia to Nazi Germany (KoSSev)
Trajkovic: Kurti's double standards, he doesn't mind the "ethnic basis" when he promotes "natural Albania" (Kosovo Online)
Petkovic: Kurti's statements he will not form ZSO not only annul dialogue, but also humiliate EU and USA (Kosovo-online
Vucic: Everyone can evaluate someone else’s democracy however they want (N1)
Pristina court sentenced Zlatan Krstic, family claims he was not in Kosovo when crime took place (Radio KIM)
Kosovo Polje: Desecrated tombstones at cemetery, landfill at entrance (Radio kontakt plus, Radio KIM, RTV Gracanica)
Von Cramon: We do not want RS to be a coin for Serbia's concession to Kosovo (Kosovo Online, AlJazeera)

Opinion:

Latifi: In a country without economy, parties turn into important business (media)
Issuance of a license for Elektrosever d.o.o. is the only possible solution (KiM radio)

International:

A dangerous crisis is brewing in the Balkans. Will the West do anything to stop another war? (CNN)

Humanitarian/Development:

Survivors’ Stories Describe Terror and Trauma of Wartime Rape (Balkan Insight)
Detainees clean the Orthodox cemetery in Mitrovica South (KoSSev)
A bakery within the Correctional Center in Lipjan (arbresh.info)

Albanian Language Media

President Osmani travels to U.S. (media)

President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani travelled to the United States on invitation of the Foreign Policy Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) where she will speak about Kosovo's future in a challenging region.

"President Osmani-Sadriu will join Edward P. Joseph, an FPI Senior Fellow, to discuss the current situation in Kosovo, efforts of the EU and U.S. to foster a comprehensive settlement between Kosovo and Serbia, as well as domestic priorities such as combating corruption and organized crime," SAIS said in the announcement of the event.

COMKFOR: Security situation stable, we support Pristina-Belgrade dialogue (Kosovapress)

KFOR Commander, Major General Ferenc Kajari, said that ever since established, KFOR has continually adapted in responding to the challenges and in doing so, "earned the respect and recognition of all relevant parties as an impartial and reliable guarantor of security in Kosovo."

"My goal is to continue this journey, build on the achievements of my predecessors and maintain support of programmes, long term projects."

Kajari said KFOR enjoys an 'excellent' cooperation with Kosovo institutions. "KFOR's added value is, at the end of the day, in its impartiality and focus in daily implementation of mandate that stems from the United Nations Security Council resolution 1244, of 1999. This is the key for security of all communities living in Kosovo and for the stability in the entire region."

He said that the overall security situation in Kosovo is 'stable' and that with regards to the north, KFOR "welcomed the agreement for de-escalation and the way forwards in the northern Kosovo in reaching an agreement between Belgrade and Pristina, under the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue facilitated by the EU."

"NATO continues to strongly support the EU-facilitated dialogue and other efforts aiming at normalisation of relations between Belgrade and Pristina. This is the only way towards reaching a lasting political agreement for the region and key to stability for the entire region."

Run-off mayoral election campaign kicks off today (media)

The campaign for the second round of mayoral elections in Kosovo has officially launched today. The media report that as per the Central Elections Commission (CEC) decision, the campaign will last five days.

Mayoral elections, set to take place this Sunday, will take place in 21 municipalities where no candidate has managed to win 50% of votes in the first round.

AAK leader Haradinaj warns of an imminent social crisis (media)

Leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) Ramush Haradinaj warned that Kosovo, as he said, is entering a deep social crisis and that the increase of prices has affected every level of society.

"The Government of Kosovo has left in a difficult situation categories that have borne the biggest burden of handling the pandemic, as a result of which the economy and businesses experienced a major blow," he wrote on Facebook. "The Government needs to sober up urgently and consider all necessary measures to ease the overcoming of this difficult situation."

Healthcare workers with ultimatum for the government (media)

The Federation of Healthcare Trade Unions of Kosovo held a protest in front of the Kosovo Government building today. Union leader Blerim Syla accused the government of lack of transparency and gave the government an ultimatum to adopt and start implementing the law on salaries by the end of the year. “If the law on salaries is not adopted this year, this protest will be followed by even stronger reactions. Our only demand is the law on salaries which would help establish social equality, a slogan with which the current government came to power. But this is not happening. The government is working in secrecy without involving the representatives of the trade unions and civil society,” Syla said. He also warned that they would block the healthcare system if the government does not make concrete steps to meet their demand.

Union of Education, Science and Culture warns with strike in January (media)

The Union of Education, Science and Culture of Kosovo (SBASHK) are warning they will block the education system if the Law on Salaries is not implemented in January next year. SBASHK leader Rrahman Jasharaj said today: “we are getting ready for dialogue [with the government] but if there is no dialogue, and if the law [on salaries] is not prepared together with the unions and is not implemented in January next year, then the education system will be blocked and there will be strikes”.

Jasharaj, who supported today’s protest of healthcare workers, said: “I have come here to convey the message of thousands of education workers who support this protest and I am here to tell the government to listen to the representatives of the healthcare system. Time has turned them [healthcare workers] into heroes, they are fighting to save people’s lives.”

COVID-19: 8 new cases, no deaths (media)

Eight new cases with COVID-19 were confirmed in the last 24 hours in Kosovo. Six persons recovered from the virus during this time. There are 462 active cases with COVID-19 in Kosovo.

Serbian Language Media

Covid-19: 76 new cases, two deaths registered in Serbian areas on Saturday (Radio kontakt plus)

Out of 162 tested samples in the Serb-populated areas in Kosovo, 76 were positive for Covid-19, Crisis Committee of Mitrovica North announced on Saturday. Also, two death cases were registered, one in Leposavic and one in Gracanica, Radio kontakt plus reports.

The new cases were registered as follows: 26 in Leposavic, 18 in Mitrovica North, ten in Zvecan, five each in Zubin Potok and Gracanica, three each in Strpce and Gnjilane, two each in Prizren and Priluzje, and one each in Kamenica and Pec.

Currently, there are 483 active cases in the Serb-populated areas in Kosovo.

Since the pandemic, a total of 24.803 persons were tested in the Serb-populated areas, and 7.421 tested positive for coronavirus.

Also, a total of 178 persons have died due to Covid-19 related complications in the Serbian areas in Kosovo.

The campaign of the second round of local elections begun (KiM radio, KoSSev)

The election campaign for the second round of local elections has officially started. Polling stations will be opened on November 14 in 21 municipalities, of which only one with a majority Serb population - Klokot, reported KiM radio.

The election campaign will last for five days, as determined by the Central Election Commission (CEC).

Voting for the second round of elections will be held on Sunday, November 14

The second round of elections will be held in 21 municipalities in which none of the candidates for mayor managed to get 50 + 1 percent of the votes.

All polling stations will be open from 07:00 to 19:00.

Petkovic: Member of people who had SS division is comparing Serbia to Nazi Germany (KoSSev)

“It is ridiculous that a member of the people who had their own SS division “Skenderbeg,“ and the fascist militia Balli Kombetar, is comparing Serbia to Germany between the two wars, one whose national issue in World War II was resolved through the fascist concept of “Greater Albania”, to which Kurti remains blindly devoted to date”, Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic said reacting to the interview Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti made with British daily The Telegraph, KoSSev portal reports.

In an interview to The Telegraph, Kurti is reported as saying that “Serbia acts like Germany between two world wars” and that “it threatens third Balkan war”.

“Kurti’s falsification of history is offensive to all victims of fascism and Nazism, who perished at the knives of Albanian chauvinists in World War II, and these victims were mostly Serbs“, Petkovic added in a statement.

While presenting harsh accusations against the Serbian President, Kurti alleged that if the Western governments “do not take him seriously“, the crises in Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina could escalate.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3qw4GBR

Trajkovic: Kurti's double standards, he doesn't mind the "ethnic basis" when he promotes "natural Albania" (Kosovo Online)

The President of the European Movement of Serbs from Kosovo, Rada Trajkovic, assessed that the Prime Minister of Kosovo has double standards in connection to his statement that the Community of Serbian Municipalities (ZSO) cannot be established on ethnic grounds, reported Kosovo Online.

Trajkovic shared on Twitter the Kosovo Online article about Kurti's interview for Deutsche Welle, in which he opposed the establishment of the ZSO, and reminded that the Prime Minister of Kosovo did not mind the ethnic basis when he advocated unification with Albania.

"According to Kurti, on the one hand, 'there can be no Community of Serb Municipalities on an ethnic basis', and on the other hand - on an ethnic basis - the concept of 'natural Albania' can be promoted. Albanians. Kosovo's prime minister's intolerance of ethnic prefixes seems to be reserved only for non-Albanians," said Trajkovic.

Petkovic: Kurti's statements he will not form ZSO not only annul dialogue, but also humiliate EU and USA (Kosovo-online)

“With the latest messages that he will not form the Community of Serbian Municipalities (ZSO), Albin Kurti not only annuls the dialogue, but also directly humiliates those who have advocated the formation of the ZSO in recent days - the European Union and the United States”, Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic said, Kosovo-online portal reports.

In a statement distributed to the media, Petkovic added that “the right to life is denied only to Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, under the pretext that ethnic communities are unacceptable. This is a pure insult to all banished Serbs, because today the areas and cities where Albanians live are ethnically clean places, such as Đakovica, Suva Reka, Peć, Priština (...)”.

Petkovic argued that such announcements serve Kurti, among other things, for internal political struggle before the second round of local elections and Kurti, as he said, is trying trough daily confrontation with official Belgrade and Serbian people in Kosovo, to secure strong positions in Pristina and create impression of some political continuity with 2013.

“However, it is unacceptable and shameful for Kurti to demonstrate arbitrariness and arrogance when it comes to implementing the agreements reached in Brussels and to do so without any sanctions of precisely those who are the guarantors of the implementation of what was signed”, he underlined.

Vucic: Everyone can evaluate someone else’s democracy however they want (N1)

Speaking about the fact that Serbia is currently not among the countries invited to the online Summit for Democracy organized by US President Joseph Biden, President Aleksandar Vucic argued that “everyone has the right to evaluate someone else's democracy however they want”, N1 reports.

The US has the right to invite anyone it wants to its summit, he told journalists in Belgrade after receiving his booster shot against COVID-19.

Vucic also said that the allegations of corruption against him are a result of his efforts to acquire ventilators for the country.

He also commented on a letter US Congress members sent Biden, urging his administration to consider imposing sanctions on those destabilizing the Western Balkans and to “continue to engage the Serbian Government about rooting out corruption.”

“Serbia is a stabilizing factor in the Balkans”, he said.

See at: https://bit.ly/3mWmEex

Pristina court sentenced Zlatan Krstic, family claims he was not in Kosovo when crime took place (Radio KIM)

Zlatan Krstic was arrested in Urosevac in 2019. Kosovo court in a fist instance verdict sentenced him to 14 years and a half in the prison for the murder of four Albanians, although he lived in Kragujevac (central Serbia) when the crime took place, his family claims, adding the court, however, doesn’t take their claims into account, Radio KIM reports.

The Krstic family for more than two decades lives in Koricane settlement near Kragujevac. All their property was left in Nerodimlje village, near Urosevac, and Zlatan was visiting the village and the family property many times before. The problem occurred in 2019, Radio KIM further reports, when he went for personal documents. Upon leaving Urosevac municipal building he was arrested over alleged war crimes committed in 1999.

“At that time he was not there (Kosovo) at all, he was here with me, the family, with children. He is innocent, we know that he is innocent, and is unjustly accused”, his wife Sonja Krstic said.

For the family, it remains incomprehensible that the court didn’t take into account the fact which indisputably proves that Zlatan Krstic is resident of Kragujevac, and he was not in the territory of Kosovo at the times of the conflict.

The lawyers say that all Serbs accused are sentenced in advance. “In my opinion the solution is that international community, still present in Kosovo, restores the principle introduced by UNMIK in 2000, that neutral judges make decisions in these kind of criminal cases – international judges or to dislocate such trials to the specialized chambers, that begin to operate in The Hague now”, lawyer Ljubomir Pantovic said.

Kosovo Polje: Desecrated tombstones at cemetery, landfill at entrance (Radio kontakt plus, Radio KIM, RTV Gracanica)

During the visit to the Orthodox cemetery in Kosovo Polje on the occasion of All Souls Day on Saturday, local Serbs found 11 more desecrated tombstones and a landfill at the entrance to the cemetery, Mirjana Markovic from this town told Radio KIM.

Around fifty Serbs visited the graveyards of their beloved ones, and found a landfill of rubbish and trash at the entrance. It was possible to access the cemetery on foot only, and Markovic said the entry gate had been taken away a long time ago.

“It was not possible to approach some graves as they were covered with weeds. The most terrible thing was that 11 tombstones have been damaged”, she said, adding that after the Serbian Orthodox Church priest Nikola Dragicevic determined the number of desecrated tombstones, Serbs from the town called the Kosovo police which has conducted an investigation.

Markovic also said that since 1999 around hundred tombstones were demolished at the Orthodox cemetery in Kosovo Polje and no one was held responsible for that.

Small number of Serbs visit cemetery in Pristina

Although following partial clean-up the image of the Orthodox cemetery in Pristina became slightly better than previous years, the overall condition is getting gloomier and worse. The small number of Serbs who came to the cemetery on All Souls Day this year as well had a big problem finding the graves of their loved ones as they were covered by bushes, RTV Gracanica said.

"Together with the people who work in the institutions here in Pristina, we are trying to appeal to the competent services that clean and maintain the cemetery so that the access is somewhat cleaned, so that the families can easily reach the graves of their relatives. None of the Serbs must forget where they come from, where they were baptized and married, because that is the only way we will preserve our memories of this city”, the parish priest of Pristina, Stanisa Arsic said.

There was no organized arrival of displaced Pristina residents from central Serbia for this All Souls Day.

Von Cramon: We do not want RS to be a coin for Serbia's concession to Kosovo (Kosovo Online, AlJazeera)

I would not compare Kosovo and Republika Srpska, as an entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina, nor would I connect them in any way. These are separate issues and we are dealing with BiH separately from the Serbia-Kosovo dialogue. I do not want to speculate that the Bosnian entity of RS should be the coin for Serbia's concession to Kosovo. We simply do not want that since the partition was stopped, said Viola von Cramon, the European Parliament's rapporteur for Kosovo in an interview with AlJazeera Balkan.

Von Cramon added that it is necessary for these countries to turn to their democratization, peaceful resolution of internal issues and full implementation of reforms related to the European Union, and not to the constant creation of tensions and nationalism.

On how she assesses the current relations in the Western Balkans and what challenges it is facing, Von Cramon stated that the current crisis reminds the European Union how important the region of the Western Balkans is for the overall European security and stability.

"There are many issues in the region, but two are the Belgrade and Pristina structural dialogue, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Both issues have attracted a lot of attention, including the recent crisis in northern Kosovo (license plates, the fight against corruption) and the ongoing institutional crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Unfortunately, the region is not a better place, nor closer to the European Union, despite our efforts to bring it to the European club as soon as possible," said Von Cramon.

Asked whether Angela Merkel's departure from politics would affect Germany's view of the Western Balkans, von Cramon said they hoped the new German government would have a stronger and stricter approach in the region.

"Angela Merkel's strategy in calming the Balkan autocrats has led us to stabilocracy instead of democracy and pluralism, and that must change. Coalition negotiations are still ongoing, and it is still unclear who will take the helm of foreign affairs, but a new approach is something that will definitely come with the new administration in Berlin," she said.

Opinion

Latifi: In a country without economy, parties turn into important business (media)

Blerim Latifi, professor of political philosophy and political commentator, notes in a Facebook post that the start of the campaign for the runoff elections will include tensions, heated debates, mutual accusations, deals between political parties and candidates, and all sorts of promises. “Perhaps it would be good to hold elections every six months, because when there are no elections, it seems we have nothing to talk about. Because in a country without an economy, political parties turn into the most important business,” Latifi argues.

Issuance of a license for Elektrosever d.o.o. is the only possible solution (KiM radio)

By Dragisa Mijacic (InTER)

The long-awaited November 6th has passed. The electricity supply of northern Kosovo has been resolved by allocating an additional 6.7m euros to cover electricity costs by the end of the year. That is the price of Kurti's inability to solve problems on time, his postponement and pre-election calculation, writes Dragisa Mijacic from the Institute for Territorial Economic Development (InTER), reported KiM radio.

Electricity supply to four municipalities in northern Kosovo is one of the biggest controversies in relations between Serbia and Kosovo, as well as between Serbs living in the north and the Kosovo government. It all started on October 19, 2009, when the Kosovo Energy Corporation (KEK) cut off electricity supplies to four municipalities in northern Kosovo. In those cold October days, it was easiest to turn off the north because the production of electricity was at a minimum, and the northern municipalities did not pay the electricity bills anyway. The decision was justified with the accident at the Valac substation near Zvecan, from which 90% of the users of the northern municipalities are supplied with electricity. Workers of Elektrokosmet, which operate within the PE Electric Power Industry of Serbia (EPS), have fixed the fault at the substation and provided the supply of the north through the 110-kV transmission line that connects Valac with Novi Pazar.

On the last day of November 2009, the Government of Serbia issued a Conclusion ordering EPS to use its capacity to supply electricity to municipalities in northern Kosovo. Based on this Conclusion of the Government of Serbia, citizens and businesses from the north of Kosovo received electricity from Serbia until the admission of the Kosovo transmission system operator and electricity market KOSTT to ENTSO-E, the European Network of Transmission System Operators. Namely, with the act of receiving KOSTT in ENTSO-E, EPS lost the possibility of directly sending electricity to users in the north of Kosovo, which officially happened on December 14, 2020.

The control of electricity supply in the north of Kosovo by KOSTT is like the saying: "be careful what you desire, maybe it will come true". KOSTT's membership in ENTSO-E is only a part of the oxymoron that was tried to be solved through the Energy Agreement from 2013 and the Conclusion of the EU mediator on the implementation of that agreement from 2015. The key provisions of the Agreement are, on the one hand, to allow KOSTT membership in ENTSO-E, and on the other hand, to allow EPS to establish two companies in Kosovo that would provide electricity trade services and electricity supply and distribution services in the municipalities in northern Kosovo.

As is usually the case in resolving Kosovo issues, due to pressure from influential Western countries and priorities in resolving their interests, KOSTT has been admitted to ENTSO-E although the issue of registration and licensing of EPS companies in Kosovo has not been resolved. A similar thing was done with the recognition of Kosovo's independence, which also did not solve the problem, because in that way Kosovo failed to complete its statehood.

The situation on December 14 last year led KOSTT to take control of the transmission of electricity in Kosovo, but also the responsibility to provide electricity supply to the north of Kosovo. The latter is a complex problem that is not easy to solve, and there are certainly no quick fixes that many in Pristina are hoping for.

On the one hand, the citizens of northern Kosovo cannot be left without electricity, especially not in the winter. On the other hand, it is known that citizens and businesses in northern Kosovo do not pay for electricity consumption and re-establishing the payment system requires a well-organized information campaign, as well as technical capabilities to record connections and measure electricity consumption. It should be emphasized that there is no record of connections and consumption since 1999, which indicates that significant time is needed for this area to be regulated and returned to normal flows.

After a long delay, exactly three years ago (November 7, 2018), the Business Registration Agency registered "Drustvo Elektrosever d.o.o". However, this company has not yet received a license to operate, although it is provided for in the 2013 Energy Agreement. Decision on licensing the company Elektrosever d.o.o. is political, because there are examples of other companies in the same industry that have meanwhile been licensed to operate. Little is known in the public that in September last year, the Serbian List withdrew from the work of the Government of Avdullah Hoti precisely because of the refusal to license the company Elektrosever d.o.o., which certainly contributed to the final fall of the Government at the end of December that year

JP Elektrokosmet, i.e. Elektrosever d.o.o. is the only company with technical and operational capabilities to ensure the distribution and billing of electricity in northern Kosovo. Any refusal to issue a license to operate this company causes damage that amounts to millions of euros. According to official data, from May to the end of December, KOSTT set aside 17.7 million euros to cover the costs of electricity, and unofficially that amount is many times higher.

It was obvious that Albin Kurti would not issue a license to Elektrosever d.o.o. before the end of the second round of local elections in which his Self-Determination expects to win the post of mayor in at least one city in Kosovo. Interruption of electricity supply in the cold autumn days would cause a humanitarian catastrophe and sending special police forces would not solve the problem but would further radicalize the situation in northern Kosovo. Hence, it was easiest to allocate additional funds for electricity consumption in the north, certainly easier than making a political decision on licensing a company owned by the Serbian EPS.

The second round of local elections for mayors in 21 municipalities in Kosovo is scheduled for November 14th. Regardless of their outcome, Albin Kurti must take responsibility for permanently resolving the problem of electricity supply in northern Kosovo in accordance with the Energy Agreement through the issuance of a license to the company Elektrosever d.o.o. This is certainly not the only step that needs to be taken, but it is necessary, as the first in a series, in order to resolve the situation with the electricity supply and billing in the north of Kosovo. This problem cannot be solved in any other way, and the sooner Kurti realizes that - the better for everyone.

International

A dangerous crisis is brewing in the Balkans. Will the West do anything to stop another war? (CNN)

The Balkan state of Bosnia-Herzegovina is on the verge of what analysts warn is its most serious crisis since the end of the Bosnian war in 1995, in which thousands were killed and horrendous acts of ethnic cleansing were committed.

The international community's High Representative in Bosnia, Christian Schmidt, warned earlier this week that the US-brokered peace agreement signed at the end of the war is at risk of collapsing unless action is taken to stop Serbian separatists from pushing towards secession.

Milorad Dodik, the Serbian leader in Bosnia's three-person presidency, has over time repeatedly threatened to break away from the rest of the country, which has since the war been made up of two autonomous regions linked by a central government. This time, however, he is putting some flesh on the bones by introducing legislation that would divorce Republika Srpska (Serb Republic) from the state's joint institutions like the armed forces and judicial bodies.

Humanitarian/Development

Survivors’ Stories Describe Terror and Trauma of Wartime Rape (Balkan Insight)

Psychoanalyst Wiola Rebecka says her new book about sexual assault during wartime highlights how rape survivors in Kosovo felt afraid to tell anyone about what happened to them, prolonging the trauma that they suffered.

"I was alone with my kids at my home. My youngest daughter was one at that time, and the oldest was three. They were at the scene and were witnesses to my rape.”

Shyhrete Tahiri-Sulejmani is recalling the moment in April 1999 during the Kosovo war when Serbian soldiers, with their faces covered, entered her home and started to rape her, as her two daughters looked on.

“From that day, I stopped cooking chicken. Looking at a naked, exposed chicken, the smell of its rawness, reminds me of the day I was raped. Even now, the scent haunts me... I still feel dirty and ashamed.”

Tahiri-Sylejmani is one of the few Kosovo Albanian survivors of wartime sexual violence to have spoken out publicly about her ordeal. She followed the example of Vasfije Krasniqi-Goodman, who gave a televised interview in 2018 about how she was raped by Serbian policemen when she was 16 years old. Krasniqi-Goodman, who is now an MP, was credited as opening up discussion about the issue of wartime sexual violence in Kosovo.

Tahiri-Sylejmani gave her account to psychoanalyst Wiola Rebecka for her recently-published book, ‘Rape: A History of Shame’, a poignant chronicle of sorrow, stigma, trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder, transgenerational trauma and survivor syndrome. The book contains the stories of women who were raped during conflicts in various countries, including Kosovo.

Thousands of women are believed to have been victims of sexual violence inflicted by Serbian forces during the Kosovo war of 1998-99, which NATO brought to an end with a 78-day bombing campaign that ended President Slobodan Milosevic’s repressive rule over what was then a Yugoslav province.